A great season for cetacean sightings
Saturday, 16 September 2017
With only a few weeks left of the 2017 season, it is clear that it has been a very good year in terms of wildlife sightings, especially of whales, dolphins and porpoise. Minke whales have been spotted on every single trip I have been on this season so far. The best sighting of the season took place just north of Ardnamurchan point on September 2nd. Over 300 common dolphins, 3 minke whales and hundreds of Manx shearwater and gannets, gathered together in one area of the sea, feeding on shoals of mackerel.
Read MoreSix reasons to cruise the caledonian canal
Friday, 11 August 2017
We still have good availability on our Caledonian Canal Explorer 6-night cruises on September 30th(Oban to Inverness) and October 7th (Inverness to Oban) aboard Elizabeth G at £1055 per person. The variety of different environments to be experienced on this cruise is outstanding, from the magnificent sea lochs on the west coast, the backdrop of the Glen Nevis Mountain range, through the heart of Scotland via canals and freshwater lochs, fringed with forests and of course the amazing engineering of the Canal locks. The Caledonian Canal Explorer is one-way - every day, wake up to a brand new part of Scotland as you travel from coast to coast. View the itinerary here> If you arrive to your cruise by car, we can transfer you back, otherwise there are excellent public transport links.
Read MoreSkye and Small Isles 6-night cruise review
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
The first steam aboard Elizabeth G gave us some dramatic skies, wonderful scenery and impressive seabirds. Guillemots, razorbills and common gull accompanied us up the Sound of Mull and a handful of majestic gannets were spotted. On approaching our anchorage for the evening, we spotted a couple of harbour porpoises, the smallest cetacean found in the Hebrides. We anchored in Loch na Droma Buidhe and enjoyed our first fantastic meal from chef Stevie.
Read MoreA Wealth of Wildlife on our St Kilda Cruise
Sunday, 30 July 2017
I for one, can say that this trip was a delight from start to finish. To reach St Kilda is always an honour and to enjoy sunshine and a calm and glassy sea in the Hebrides is a real treat. Many laughs were had during the 10 days and the wildlife did not disappoint! We had good views of 6 different species of cetacean, both white-tailed eagle and golden eagles and many other bird species, including thousands of gannets around the sea stacks of St Kilda.
Read MoreHebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust launch new sightings app in July
Saturday, 17 June 2017
In July 2017, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) is launching a new sightings app, thanks to an award of more than £79,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The app will enable everyone (boat operators and wildlife enthusiast alike) to record and submit their sightings of marine megafauna such as whales, dolphins and porpoises from all across the Hebrides. We are very pleased that Hebrides Cruises is playing a vital part in the development of the app.
Read MoreOur new luxury vessel first cruise May 13 - Nigel's Report
Tuesday, 13 June 2017
There was a real buzz at Oban Harbour on Saturday 13th May, the first cruise for our new vessel. During the few days prior to departure, the weather forecast, along with the wind speeds and direction was giving some thought as to the best itinerary; but both guests and crew were anticipating with great excitement the prospect of the first week of cruising. The Crew of four were; James the Skipper, Maddy the Bosun, Peter the Chef and myself, Nigel the Guide, hoping to bring my wildlife, photographic, and Hebrides knowledge for the enjoyment of the guests.
Read MoreSkye, Small Isles and the Shiants; Wildlife Guide Report
Monday, 12 June 2017
My first steam aboard Proud Seahorse started off pretty damp leaving Oban but as we got further north up the Sound of Mull the sky cleared, we got ourselves outside on deck and started to see some wildlife! Black guillemots, common guillemots, razorbills and common gull accompanied us and a handful of majestic gannets were spotted. We also spotted a number of harbour porpoise close to Duart Castle – great start to our trip! We anchored in Loch na Droma Buidhe for the evening and were treated to a delicious dinner prepared by our amazing chef, Ross.
Read MoreWildlife Guide Report :Skye and the Small Isles 6-night cruise: 20th May
Friday, 2 June 2017
Hello all! Lynsey here for my first trip with Hebrides Cruises as a Wildlife Guide and I can’t tell you how excited I am to get underway!
The first steam aboard Elizabeth G gave us some dramatic skies and wonderful scenery. Black guillemots were seen before we had even left Oban- to the delight of many of the guests.
Read MorePrivate charter review from our guest Christina Macaulay
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Elizabeth G feels like our home from home - this year is my tenth year holidaying on the boat. Well we don’t see it as a holiday - more of a yearly adventure! Rob the skipper and the rest of the crew greeted us in Oban; we were determined to make the best of things after a forecast warning of high winds, however we left Oban under leaden skies and cruised to Loch Sunart where we spent the first night at anchor.
Read MoreThe wildlife turns out for our first cruise
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Our first cruise of the season exploring the Islands of Mull, Coll and Iona was amazing with almost perfect weather and a fantastic array of rare species. Having a dedicated Wildlife Guide on board our cruises is what makes our cruises a true wildlife experience. Nigel Spencer was our Wildlife Guide on board and provided lots of information, spotted lots of species and took some amazing photos as well as providing a detailed report of the cruise.
Read MoreHebrides Cruises: a family business with perfect scones!
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
Hebrides Cruises is a proper family business. Rob Barlow is Owner and Skipper; daughter Emma is Sales, Marketing and Shore Manager, her husband Peter works on the cruises in a variety of roles, including Skipper and Engineer. Not to be forgotten is Granny Mary, a vital person in the business, providing the scones for the guests arriving on the boat for their cruise which are always much appreciated! Here is the recipe - with a few extra tips.
Read MoreThe Gold WiSe standard for Skipper Rob
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
We are delighted to announce that Hebrides Cruises owner, Rob Barlow, was awarded the Gold WiSe Standard at the WiSe ‘Masters’ Course last week in Fort William. Rob is also Skipper on our cruises during the season and is very aware of the necessity of protecting and not disturbing the wildlife we take our guests to see.
Read MoreRecord number of dolphins in the Hebrides
Saturday, 11 February 2017
Conservation charity the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust said that from its research yacht Silurian, which was used in the BBC TV programme Blue Planet, volunteers and scientists spotted 2,303 common dolphins, 42 bottlenose dolphins and 94 Risso’s dolphins in its 2016 expeditions. Trust director Alison Lomax said: “The impressive range of species documented in
Read MoreOur new vessel: the perfect cruising combination of adventure and luxury
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Our new vessel has been refitted to provide the perfect combination of luxury and adventure for the once-in-a-lifetime trip to St Kilda. All five cabins on board are double or twin ensuite; our cabin suite is especially suited for guests who require more space. Our four crew are dedicated to ensuring our 10
Read MoreSt Kilda 250-year-old census discovered
Monday, 16 January 2017
An amazing find - a 250-year-old census showing the earliest recorded population of the Island of St Kilda has been discovered thanks to work by the National Records of Scotland.
If you are a Maclachlan, MacQueen, Ferguson, Gillies, MacDonald or MacKinnon, the list of people on the census might have been your ancestors.
Read More
The whole experience was a delight, James, Will, Carlton and Sofia were lovely and the ship and accommodation was great, our cabin (5) was well designed and comfortable with ideal nooks and crannies for storage. We made for a very sociable group and the ambiance was helped by the friendly atmosphere on board. It was all very enjoyable and the scenery stunning sailing up to the sea lock at Fort William and along the canal and lochs towards Inverness. It is a truly lovely time of year to visit the Highlands and the perspective from water level on the ship was ideal. Will provided an expert guide to the flora and fauna along the way and the walks on shore. Seeing spectacular skeins of Pink Footed Geese on their way to their feeding grounds on the morning of the last day was a particular highlight. I would not hesitate to recommend the cruise, we both had a lovely time in good company with a delightful and knowledgeable crew.
Peter Thomas: 16 September 2023Loch Linnhe, the Caledonian Canal & Loch Ness